Bishop Carter appoints three district superintendents

February 04, 2013

LAKELAND - Two local church pastors with experience in conference leadership have been named district superintendents by Florida Conference Bishop Ken Carter, who made the announcement today. Additionally, the superintendent of the North Central District will assume the leadership for the East Central District.

“I am pleased to announce that the North Central District superintendent, Rev. Annette Pendergrass, is appointed to the East Central District effective July 1,” Bishop Carter said.

Rev. Sue Haupert-Johnson is appointed to the North Central District, and Rev. Walter E. Monroe Jr., will serve as the South Central District superintendent, also effective July 1.

“All three leaders possess deep and sustained experience in ministry, and they will provide excellent leadership for their districts, the Cabinet, and the Florida Conference,” Bishop Carter said.

Rev. Sue Haupert-Johnson, North Central District

Rev. Sue Haupert-Johnson

Co-pastor of First UMC, Ocala, with her husband, Allen, Rev. Haupert-Johnson had a career in law before responding to her call to ministry. Previous pastoral appointments include Hillsborough UMC, Tampa; First UMC, Cape Coral; and First UMC, Lakeland.

She also has served on several conference boards and committees, including stints as chairperson of the Order of Elders and Standing Rules and Resolutions committees. She has represented the Florida Conference at the quadrennial Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference three times and the General Conference in 2008 and 2012. She also was chairperson of the Judicial Administration Legislative Committee at last year's General Conference in Tampa.

She and her husband have a daughter, Samantha.

Rev. Dr. Walter E. Monroe Jr., South Central District

Rev. Dr. Walter Monroe

Rev. Monroe has been serving as chaplain and director of religious life at Bethune-Cookman University since July 2010. Before that, he was senior pastor of Stewart Memorial UMC, Daytona Beach. He is the former director of the Wesley Foundation at the University of Florida, and he also has served churches in Melbourne, Lake City, Orlando, Taft and Gainesville. He is a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry and a trustee of the Florida United Methodist Foundation.

He initially was ordained in 1976 in the New York/Washington Conference of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. He transferred to the Florida Conference in 1982 and later became an ordained UMC elder.

He and his wife, Paulette Taylor, have three grown children: Dana, Walter III and Aaron.

Rev. Annette Stiles Pendergrass, East Central District

Rev. Annette Stiles Pendergrass

A Florida native, Rev. Pendergrass led churches in Ormond Beach, Jacksonville and Miami Springs before becoming North Central District superintendent in July 2008. She started her career in ministry as an associate pastor at St. Luke's UMC, Orlando.

An ordained elder since 1989, she has taken on many Florida Conference leadership roles, including serving as chairperson for four of her 12 years on the Board of Ordained Ministry. She is a member of the Strategic Leadership Team and a trustee for Bethune-Cookman University.

She and her husband, Scott, have three children: Kyle, Jacob and Daniel.

In The United Methodist Church, a district superintendent is an ordained elder who supervises clergy and congregations in a geographical area and collaborates with the bishop in assigning elders, deacons and local pastors to specific ministries. The 2012 Book of Discipline further defined the role of the district superintendent as a “missional strategist” in support of making disciples for the transformation of the world.

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